Credit card or prepaid card -- Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers -- Complaint #5393583
Complaint Overview
Complaint ID: 5393583
Company: Capital One Financial Corporation
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-Product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-Issue: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
State: Colorado
ZIP Code: 80015
Date Received: 2022-03-31T12:00:00-05:00
Date Sent to Company: 2022-04-01T12:00:00-05:00
Company Response: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Submitted Via: Web
Consumer Narrative
Dear CFPB, At about XXXX on Sunday, the XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, I logged into the Capital One App, and I saw that, I had been Pre-Approved for a XXXX XXXXXXXX Credit Card, which was stated in the App to be based on my well-kept credit. So, I went ahead and accepted the offer. Please note that I was not pre-selected nor was I pre-qualified. I was pre-approved! A few seconds later, I received an email from my credit monitoring service that there had been a hard inquiry on my credit. There was no indication anywhere that there was going to be a hard pull on my credit and I had no idea that a hard inquiry was going to be made to my credit record for a card I was already approved for based on my credit which they checked and knew was great ( XXXX score ). I did not consent to a hard inquiry on my credit report. I called Capital One, rejected the credit card, and asked them to remove the report. The phone agent asked me to send in a letter. The next morning ( a Monday ) I sent the complaint letter to Capital One via registered mail on the XXXX XXXX XXXX, and then I followed up with another complaint via email on the XXXX XXXX XX/XX/2022. On XX/XX/2022, at exactly XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, a Capital One agent reached out to me on the phone and I explained to her that I accepted the pre-approved card on the app, and that there was no indication or disclosure anywhere that there was going to be a hard pull on my credit. That all I saw was that I was pre-approved which literarily means, already approved. Then I requested that the hard inquiry from my credit be removed. The Capital One Agent declined my request and re-emphasized that " in the eyes of Capital One, 'pre-approved for credit ', and 'pre-qualified for credit ' both mean the same thing ''. CFPB, please how are consumers expected to magically see " through the eyes of Capital One ''? I have received other pre-approved credit cards from other institutions and it only results in a soft credit check ( XXXX XXXX for example ). I explained to the Capital One agent that acts like this, that will result in significant impact on a persons pecuniary interest, based on words that differs from their ordinary common usage, require clear and informed consent, and should not be misleading. I explained that obtaining consent using misleading words in contexts that are understood only " through the eyes of Capital One '', is not consent. It is misleading and is an unfair and/or deceptive practice. I emphasized to the Capital One agent that I was not preselected for credit. That I was not prequalified for credit. But that I was pre-approved for credit! And that there was no indication anywhere on the application that my " pre-approval '' will result in a hard pull on my credit. No mention of hard pull anywhere. The Capital One agent declined to withdraw the inquiry and also refuse to provide me with any evidence ( even a screen shot ) of the supposed acceptance page where I supposedly consented to a hard pull on my credit. CFPB, I strenuously dispute this inquiry to my credit and my request to Capital One to remove the false hard inquiry from my credit report with all the credit reporting agencies has been to no avail. I did not consent to a hard pull on my credit and I am requesting that Capital One removes the false hard inquiring from my credit report. Thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Complaint #5393583 about?
Complaint #5393583 was filed against Capital One Financial Corporation regarding Credit card or prepaid card specifically about Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers. It was received by the CFPB on 2022-03-31T12:00:00-05:00.
How did Capital One Financial Corporation respond to this complaint?
The company responded with: "Closed with explanation". The response was timely.
What is the risk level of this complaint?
See the risk assessment section for details on this complaint's risk profile.
How do I file a similar complaint?
You can file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Select the appropriate product category (Credit card or prepaid card) and describe your issue in detail.
Can I see other complaints against Capital One Financial Corporation?
Yes, visit the Capital One Financial Corporation company profile at readthecomplaint.com/company/capital-one-financial-corporation to see all complaints, risk scores, and analysis.
Disclaimer
This analysis is AI-generated based on publicly available CFPB complaint data. It does not constitute financial or legal advice.